In light of the shooting in a Colorado movie theater that left 12 people dead and 50 injured, the Chicago City Council revisited the city's controversial gun ordinance this week and approved new language that tightens restrictions for firearms sales.

After that ruling, Emanuel promised to push back, and many pointed to the city's growing problem with gun violence as evidence that harsher restrictions were necessary.

Deputy Corporation Counsel Mike Forti has advised the city that the new ban will likely pass legal muster, according to WLS. He says the five-year ban for violent misdemeanors "balance[s] the seriousness of those crimes with an individual's right to exercise their 2nd Amendment."

The massacre in Colorado appears to have made for increased interest in gun ownership in Illinois. CBS Chicago reports that, according to the Illinois State Police, more than 1,200 FOID card background checks were requested the day after the shooting, an increase of 41 percent over the previous Saturday.

“There’s just way too many guns in this city," Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said at a press conference following the ruling. "There’s way too many guns in the state of Illinois. And it’s one of those situations that if we don’t do something about it – and everything we do matters--if we don’t do something about it, it’s just going to continue at the rate that it is.”